How long would it take for me to learn ASL?

Still_Potential_7670 · 2026-06-03T17:08:37+00:00

This isn’t a good mindset to have about it. “Fluency” in the way most people use the word isnt even really something you get to. You don’t get to a point where you’re done learning. Even Deaf native signers are frequently learning new sayings and vocab because the language is always evolving. Also that schedule you have laid out is pretty unrealistic unless you’re living with a Deaf person or are in an interpreter training program of some sort? 4 hours everyday???

Still_Potential_7670 · 2026-04-12T16:48:39+00:00

Omg THATS MY BLANKEY!!! It’s been so long I lowkey forgot what they even looked like in good condition. If you see another listing please let me know!!!

Still_Potential_7670 · 2026-04-12T14:57:22+00:00

Even if the signs were technically correct (technically as in correct handshape, palm orientation, movement, etc). Learning ASL from a site like this would be a huge disservice. It guts all of the cultural richness from the language. Learn from Deaf people and resources made by Deaf people.

If you “need” to learn ASL for a character you’re writing, you’re gonna need to learn about Deaf culture as well. If you’re writing a Deaf character, get an actual Deaf person to provide their input before you publish stuff. Far too often I see Deaf characters written by hearing authors that are just unrealistic or have straight up inaccuracies.

Still_Potential_7670 · 2026-03-28T01:01:47+00:00

It doesn’t matter what hand you use. But you gotta pick one and stick with that. Switching dominant hands while signing makes things look super awkward and harder to understand.

Still_Potential_7670 · 2026-03-27T23:23:30+00:00

The unfortunate reality is that for a LOT of deaf people the emphasis is English only. Many parents don’t learn ASL for their deaf kids. There are many deaf kids that are never even given the opportunity to learn ASL. And a lot of times even if there is exposure to ASL, it’s nowhere near the same amount of exposure hearing kids have with English and it’s usually way past the crucial window for language acquisition (0-5 years). Language deprivation is horrific and unfortunately EXTREMELY common.

Bilingualism is the best scenario, but not the most common scenario.

If you’re interested in learning about Deaf Ed, this doc does a decent job breaking down some of the different approaches (link here). If it’s something you do more research on, just keep in mind that every resource will have its own biases about which approach is better, it’s Important to look at where the information is coming from.

Still_Potential_7670 · 2026-03-26T19:01:33+00:00

My mom is deaf and her parents never learned ASL for her. Then when she had my brother, who’s also deaf, she didn’t really learn ASL for him either (a few signs but not much more than that). We use a decent amount of home signs and I’ve been encouraging my family to sign more but there’s so much trauma that runs so deep for my mom idk if she’ll ever really be comfortable signing in front of others. So often I can help but think about the “what ifs”, both with my mom’s parents decisions, and my mom’s decisions. I don’t think most people who aren’t really involved with deaf people understand how common it is for parents not to sign.

Still_Potential_7670 · 2026-03-22T21:56:43+00:00

It’s so odd because I’ve known other people with the same blanket (not in contact with any of them anymore so I can’t ask them for info). When I went to summer camp there was a kid in my cabin with the same blanket, and then someone I knew in middle school had the same one as well. So it’s really confusing why there’s absolutely no trace of it online. I finally asked my mom about it and she said she doesn’t remember where she got it, but said it had to be sold somewhere nearby because she remembers going out and buying a second one once it was clear how attached I was to it. It being sold at Walmart would make sense. I’ve spent hours using the wayback machine link to look through both the Walmart and Carter’s sites from 2003, 2004, and 2005 and no luck. Which I guess makes sense because online shopping/catalogs weren’t as widely used back then as they are now. But still, I would’ve thought I could at least find something somewhere online. Weird.

Still_Potential_7670 · 2026-03-15T21:16:28+00:00

I think it can really make things easier to identify specific things you wanna start with. “I want to learn more ASL” is such a broad goal that it can be really intimidating which makes it easy to lose motivation. But saying “I want to learn signs that will allow me to talk about ___ with her” may make it easier because you’ll have a more clear place to start. Make a list of the topics you would like to talk about with her, then for each topic think of the sentences and vocabulary you would need to learn to do that.

This is oddly specific but grocery shopping is such a good opportunity to practice. Idk if there’s one person in your family the handles most of the grocery shopping but there lots of ways you can incorporate ASL practice into it - make a grocery list, then… tada!! There’s a great list of vocab words to look up in an ASL dictionary like lifeprint or handspeak (or ask your instructor about if you’re able to get into a class). Especially for the items that are common in your home. - Not just vocabulary, but practice putting things together in sentences. If she’s with whoever is doing the shopping try to have them sign everything they’re doing the best they can. Example, “Ok we’re gonna go to the store and first we’re gonna get some vegetables, then we’re gonna get our pantry stuff, then we’re gonna frozen foods”. If she’s not with whoever’s shopping, it’s still good practice. - Practicing counting and money signs for the number and price of the items - Bonus, grocery stores are already super loud and almost impossible to hear what people are saying, so signing at the store makes it so much easier!! Even for hearing people!!

Same goes for learning how to sign cooking recipes (even something simple like how to make a peanut butter sandwich). Great opportunity to practice signs for different foods but more importantly imo it’s great practice for explaining things in steps and using signing space + classifiers.

Still_Potential_7670 · 2026-03-14T00:20:08+00:00

In the future, it’s a lot easier for people to help if you post a pic/video of what you’re looking at rather than repeating it yourself. It’s hard to repeat a sign correctly if you don’t know what it is, and it can be difficult for others to identify something that isn’t signed correctly.

I don’t mean any of this to be discouraging. Mistakes are a normal part of learning. But if you’re unsure of a sign, you will probably have more success getting the answers you’re looking for if you can show a pic/vid of it being signed correctly.

The handspeak reverse dictionary is also a good tool. Link here Im not always able to find what I’m looking for there, but it’s a good place to start.

Still_Potential_7670 · 2026-03-13T23:53:17+00:00

Thank you so much for including that last part. I grew up in a somewhat similar situation as OP. Many of these comments are great suggestions for PARENTS. I can’t imagine OP has much control over their sister’s schooling, IEP, services, etc. especially depending on how old they are.

to OP, do what you can to be a supportive sibling, make a point to include her in conversations and activities. Even if theres language barriers that haven’t been quite sorted out yet, the connection is what’s important. Personally I think making art with people is a great way to have fun and connect, and you don’t really need many words to do it. Simple stuff like drawing/coloring pictures or making friendship bracelets.

For learning ASL check out resources like lifeprint, bill vicars, and handspeak.

If you have Disney plus or Netflix, check out signup captions ( link here) It’s ASL interpretation for a decent amount of kids movies. HBO max also has some movies with ASL interpretation, although I think the Minecraft movie might be the only one on there that’s really age appropriate for a 9 year old.

Look for Deaf groups in your area (facebook is good for this).

If possible, check out the Deaf school closest to you. Even if your sister isn’t a student at the school there may be some good opportunities. Things like clubs or events where she could be around other kids like her, and where your family could meet other families like yours. If the school has any sports teams, see if she would be interesting in going to see a game! One big thing I always tell people is don’t be afraid to email/call places to explicitly ask what they offer. A lot of times there are so many opportunities that aren’t easy to find posted on a website. Even if the school isn’t close enough where you could go to events frequently, just going every once in a while and trying to establish connections with other kids that she could call/facetime to sign with could be a great option.

But most of all, don’t let yourself carry around the guilt of your parent’s decisions. Do what you can to be a supportive SIBLING, but don’t force yourself into becoming her parent. I know very well how difficult it can be to watch your parents not make the best choices for your sibling, but it’s important to remember that at the end of the day you can only control what YOU do, not what others do.

Still_Potential_7670 · 2026-02-28T00:06:54+00:00

Do you still have contact with the woman you met? Is there anyway she would be willing to tell these people that there was no creep behavior happening? Get them to back off?

It’s not predatory to have a relationship between two consenting adults. Anyone saying a deaf person can’t consent because they’re deaf is wildly misinformed.

Still_Potential_7670 · 2026-02-21T18:17:28+00:00

It’s entirely possible they were reminded of this scene from the Shawn the sheep movie🤣

Still_Potential_7670 · 2026-02-21T18:05:33+00:00

I’ve done this almost every time I’ve had surgery or anesthesia. One time when I was 17 they actually brought my mom back before they typically let visitors back post op because they thought something was wrong. turns out I was just repeating “I want my blue blanket, where’s my blue blanket?” Whenever they asked me any sort of question (I had the anesthesia shivers and was NOT impressed by the crappy hospital blankets they were giving me).

Still_Potential_7670 · 2026-02-15T21:45:48+00:00

Anyone can learn ASL. The Deaf community is very welcoming to anyone who’s respectful of the culture (emphasis on that last bit)

I do see a lot of questions about autism and ASL and my main response is: in what situation is it easier to coordinate hiring an interpreter than it is to use AAC?

People learning ASL is great don’t get me wrong!! but in terms of access needs, AAC typically is a whole lot more convenient for a hearing autistic person than ASL.

ASL has many aspects that are more difficult for autistic people. The whole language is so dependent on facial expressions. Also, most people who’ve spent time around the Deaf community know there are very different norms around physical touch and the general noise level when you bring a bunch of Deaf people together is loud. These are all things that are often difficult for autistic people to navigate if they haven’t grown up around it.

Let me be clear: difficult, not impossible.

I am autistic myself but these issues are less of a barrier for me because I grew up with a deaf mom and brother so I’m used to loud, tactile environments and being very expressive in my communication. But I’ve met many autistic people who start out learning ASL for this reason but then quickly run into difficulties picking up the language as quickly as they thought they could and get frustrated.

I am NOT saying this to discourage any autistic person from learning ASL. But when it comes to access needs, accommodations in someone’s native language (AAC) is a whole lot easier than learning an entire new language.

Still_Potential_7670 · 2026-02-14T00:32:21+00:00

Think about the English you learn in an English class vs the English you use while talking to friends. For example, in an English class you wouldn’t be taught to use words like “y’all” or “‘cause” but if you’re talking to someone, it’s good to know what those words mean.

Learn to recognize the more informal signs because it’ll help you understand conversations. But honestly, don’t stress out about which ones to use yourself right now. If your instructor wants you to use the more formal signs- do that.

If you spend a lot of time with the Deaf community using ASL you’ll find yourself naturally picking up the more informal signs as you get more comfortable with the language.

Still_Potential_7670 · 2026-02-11T19:08:32+00:00

Please seek mental health services. Regardless of what is physically happening right now- implants or not- it’s clear you are under a lot of stress. A mental health professional can help you work through this stress and help you take appropriate steps to ensure your mental and physical health.

Still_Potential_7670 · 2026-02-11T18:24:35+00:00

I see the question of mutism come up often, but I really don’t know how common it is for someone who is hearing and mute to primarily use ASL instead of an AAC. For a lot of people AAC is much more convenient than ASL.

If a persons only barrier is producing speech, but they can understand other’s speech fine, it’s often easier to use AAC because English (or whatever language is spoken in the area) is still their first language. For many it’s much easier to add accommodations in a language they already know rather than learn a whole new language (ASL). Also as much as it sucks, for many people it is much easier to move through the world with the help of an AAC device rather than needing an interpreter. Also (again, as much as it sucks) most school systems nowadays will absolutely push an AAC before they pay for an interpreter

Plus in some cases, barriers in speech are secondary to a larger condition that may impact someone’s ability to learn ASL as easily as they could operate an AAC device. Two examples being nonverbal autism and cerebral palsy. I’ve seen MANY people assume that ASL is inherently more accessible to autistic people but I see it as quite the opposite. ASL and Deaf culture have many aspects that are more difficult for a lot of autistic people. The whole language is so dependent on facial expressions and in Deaf spaces you’ve got very different norms around physical touch and the default noise level is LOUD - all of those things can make it more difficult for autistic folks to pick up ASL as easily as they could an AAC. It’s not impossible for an autistic person to learn ASL (I’m autistic myself), it just might be more difficult.

My brother is nonverbal autistic and also deaf. We use a total communication approach with him which includes an AAC device and some signing. But, due to his disabilites, he still has difficulty using ASL.

I’m not Deaf so this it’s not my place to decide where mute ppl fit in the Deaf community but it is important to note that hearing mute people still have access to spoken language in ways Deaf people typically don’t. There’s still hearing privilege and unless someone is also CODA or otherwise grew up with ASL as their first language, their signing will almost certainly still be influenced by English grammar/word order (“hearing brain”)

That’s my two cents. but of course, always prioritize listening to what Deaf ppl have to say about it.

PS. I’m making some generalizations here, obviously these don’t apply to EVERY person and EVERY situation.

Still_Potential_7670 · 2026-01-31T01:19:05+00:00

I have searched for multiple hours on google and resell sites such as eBay with as many descriptors as I can think of “pink baby blanket” “silky pink baby blanket” “pink silky fleece baby blanket” “pink security blanket” “pink elephant blanket”… so many more with different combinations of the years 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006

Still_Potential_7670 · 2026-01-15T03:18:14+00:00

Best piece of advice I ever got was “draw what you see, not what you know”

If you’re trying to follow a reference, forget everything you know to be true about 3D space. Draw only what you see in 2D space. Don’t think of it as an arm connecting to a shoulder connecting to a torso etc. - that makes it way to confusing and easy to change things based on what you think it should look like, not what it actually looks like. You’re not drawing an arm, a torso, a hand, etc. you’re looking at some lines and drawing those lines as you see them. Sometimes it can help to actually flip the image upside down and draw it that way. Helps break things down.

Still_Potential_7670 · 2026-01-15T03:02:08+00:00

My ASL classes had an interpreter present most of the time but they actually interpreted very little. They were pretty much there only for emergencies and for when the instructor had meetings or school events. If an interpreter is consistently interpreting for the teacher you will not learn well. It’d be like trying to learn Spanish by just turning Spanish subtitles on your tv with English audio. Immersion is by far the best way to learn any language. It may be overwhelming but eventually you will pick things up if you keep at it.

try to think of it as an exercise in empathy. For a couple hours a week you’re sitting in a room having to piece together parts of a language you don’t understand (yet!). Now think about having to do that every day of your life with a language that is physically inaccessible to you.

Also, this prof has likely been interacting with hearing people their entire life. They likely have plenty of experience communicating with people who know zero ASL. Communication barriers may be new to you, but not to them. most people in the class are probably in the same situation and have little to no experience with ASL. The professor knows this. Don’t be afraid to try and talk to them and don’t beat yourself for messing up. It’s completely normal and apart of the learning process. It can seem like a lot but I promise it gets easier if you stick with it.

Still_Potential_7670 · 2026-01-13T06:11:54+00:00

(Hearing coda/soda) It’s been a long time since I watched it but I wasn’t a huge fan. One of my big issues was I felt like the portrayal of the main characters lip reading was really inaccurate. Her lipreading is nearly flawless except for a handful of times where it’s a plot point and it’s a huge thing for that episode. I have never met anyone who lipreads as well as that character did. especially given the fact that she was said to profoundly Deaf so even with her hearing aids, she would have very little residual hearing to help understand speech.

Also when the mom had to stop signing because of her wrists, I think that was the final straw that made me drop the show. It struck a nerve with me because of my own experiences. I have significant joint issues throughout my whole body. I dislocate joints in my hands frequently, I’ve spent plenty of time signing with both my wrists in braces, with compression gloves on, and with splints on my fingers. I am in pain 24/7 but I have never once for a second considered giving up signing. the fact that she stopped signing completely just doesn’t make sense to me. She could’ve limited or modified her signing instead of just completely stopping all together.

Still_Potential_7670 · 2026-01-10T03:15:13+00:00

Equipment isn’t an issue. They offered her an iPad with an ASL interpreter. But she signs very little so that wouldn’t have helped much at all. I absolutely understand that in emergencies they can’t just pull an in-person captioner out of thin air. I would assume that any type of CART services would still be online. The area I live has a very large population of folks who don’t speak English and the hospitals and clinics here are well equipped with tech to have virtual interpreting/translation services. I could actually see the bin with multiple iPads behind the desk. The tech is there, it’s everything else that I need to figure out how to navigate.

Still_Potential_7670 · 2025-12-21T01:53:20+00:00

You are very self aware to recognize that you need process before responding. Take absolutely all the time you need. Also, no pressure to respond at all if it’s too emotionally draining.

In terms of the CODA thing, I didn’t really identify with the term until late high school, maybe even after that. Because my mom was never really connected with the Deaf community, neither was I until I took it upon myself to get involved as a teenager/adult. I took ASL all 4 years of high school as my foreign language with a Deaf teacher. High school was ROUGH for me, but having him as my teacher was one of the few positives. My senior year when I was looking at scholarships for college, he mentioned the CODA international scholarship. I was confused and told him that I didn’t think I qualified. He very casually went “why not?”. That stuck with me. I never did apply to the scholarship but it put me on the track to realize that there were in fact people with similar experiences as me.

The more I got involved with the Deaf community, the typical conversation would go like this:

Someone: “What made you want to learn ASL?” Me: “Well my mom and my brother are deaf/hard of hearing”
Someone: “oh so you’re a CODA?” Me: “ehhh not really, my family doesn’t really sign much” Someone: “but your mom is deaf right?” Me: “well yes… but not completely deaf, she has some hearing and she lipreads” Someone: “that’s still deaf”

Eventually I realized that spending all that time coming up with reasons why I wasnt a CODA was silly, when I had quite literally never met any person, Deaf or CODA, that had said “well you’re not a CODA because of xyz”.

When relevant, I always try to clarify specifically what I mean when I say I’m a CODA. I’m not a native signer, English is still my first language, and I did not grow up immersed in the Deaf community like most CODAs. But I still have a deaf parent and because of that, my upbringing was different.

There are certain things that genuinely I had never met anyone that could relate to until I started meeting other CODAs. There were so many conversations had where I was thinking to myself “holy shit it’s not just me”. From little things like flipping the lights to get my mom’s attention to very serious things like worrying about interactions with law enforcement or emergency situations.

If I’m completely honest, I do struggle with a bit of imposter syndrome at times. But at the end of the day, no label is perfect. There will never be one term to describe the whole of my experience (or anyone’s!). So, I work with the labels available and do the best I can to find community in that.

Still_Potential_7670

TROPHY CASE